144

CHRIST cures a Man that had the Dropsy,

Sect. 119. nions (a), he went into the House of one of the chief ~ Pharifees, who was a Magistrate of great DistincLuke XIV. tion (b), that had invited him to eat Bread, i. e.

I.

2

3

4

to dine with him, on the Sabbath-Day; and many
of the Pharifees were present there, and, as their
ufual Custom was, they were narrowly watching
him, to make the most invidious Observations on
his Conduct.

And behold, there was a certain Man before
him, that had a Dropsy, who having heard that
Jesus was to dine there, had conveyed himself
thither, in Hope of a Cure (c).

And Jesus answering to the secret Reasonings which he difcerned in their Minds on this Occafion, faid to the Doctors of the Law, and other Pharifees, who were then present, What do you think now of this Cafe? Is it lawful to heal a distempered Person on the Sabbath-Day? or can there be any Thing in so benevolent an Action, inconfiftent with that facred Rest which is required on that Day?

But they were filent; as not being able with
any Face to deny the Legality of the Action, and
yet unwilling to say any Thing which might feem
to authorize those Cures, which Christ performed
on the Sabbath-Day, as well as at other Times;
and which in the general they had been known
to cenfure.

And Jesus, when he found that they would
make

of one of the chief Pharifees to eat Bread on the Sabbathday, that they watched him.

2 And behold, there was a certain Man before him, which had the Dropfy.

3 And Jesus answering, spake unto the Lawyers and Pharifees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbathday!

4 And they held their Peace.

(a) Just as our Lord was finishing his Journey thro' Herod's Dominions.] As all that follows from the Beginning of this xivth Chapter to Chap. xvii. 10. is placed by Luke before the Account of his Journey thro Samaria to Ferufalem; and as I find no other Event in any of the Evangelists before the Feast of Dedication, to which I conclude that Journey refers; I am obliged (by the Rule I lay down to myself, of never changing the Order without apparent Reason,) to take all these Discourses and Stories just as I find them; tho' I cannot pretend positively to say, that Luke, who no doubt has fometimes changed the Order in his Narration, has exactly observed it here. It is however possible, that all recorded in these Chapters might happen within the Compass of a few Days; and so would be consistent with interpreting Chap. xiii. 32, 33. in a more literal Manner, than is absolutely necessary.

(b) A Magiftrate of great Distinction.] If (as Dr. Whitby supposes,) the Person who gave the Invitation was indeed one of the grand Sanhedrim, he might nevertheless have a Country Seat in Galilee; as the higher Courts never fail of allowing fome Recess to their Members. So that Grotius's Argument for tranfpofing this Story, till Christ's Arrival at Jerufalem, feems inconclusive.

(c) Had conveyed himself thither, &c.] I cannot think, (as some suppose,) that he was one of the Family; because it is faid, that Christ dismissed, or let him go, when he was cured; ver. 4.

(d) Taking

and vindicates his healing on the Sabbath-Day.

7 And he put forth a Parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief Rooms; saying unto them,

145

make him no Reply, extended his Compassion to Sect. 119.
the poor Man; and taking him [by the Hand] (d), Luke XIV.
be miraculously healed him before them all, and
dismissed him perfectly well, and reduced in a
Moment to his proper Shape and Bulk (e).

4.

And more fully to convince them how justi- 5
fiable such an Action was, even upon their own
Principles, as he saw they were secretly cavilling
at it, he faid in Answer to them, Wkich of you,
if he have but an Afs or an Ox, that shall happen
to fall into a Pit, will not immediately draw him
out whithout any Scruple, even on the Sabbath-
Day (f), thơ that is a much more laborious
Action, and the Life of one of those Animals is
so much less important than the Health of a Man?
And can you then without the greatest Injustice
condemn me for what I have now done?

And they were all confounded at the Force 6
and Evidence of what he said, and were not able
to anfwer him again to these Things, tho' they had
not the Candor to acknowledge themselves con-
vinced by them.

.

And he spake what may, in one Sense of the 7 Word, be called a Parable, that is, a grave, concise, and memorable Sentence, (see Note (b), Vol. i. pag. 394.) to those that were invited to Dinner, when he observed how they chose and contended for the chief Seats at the Table; and to reprove them for their Pride, and recommend Humility,

(d) Taking him by the Hand.] I know some have imagined, that Christ led him afide to avoid Oftentation: But the Words do not express this; and as our Lord speaks of the Cure, both immediately before, and after it, there can be no Room to imagine, he intended to conceal it. Probably the Circumstance of taking him by the Hand is mentioned, as an Inftance of his Condescension, and shews, that there was nothing in the Manner of the Cure, which could be objected to as a servile Work.

(e) Reduced to his proper Shape and Bulk.] If any ask, How this could be? I answer, He that at once could cure the Dropsy with a Touch, could, if he pleased, annihilate the Excess of Water that caused it; and it is reasonable to believe, the Cure was wrought in such a Manner, as would make the Reality and Perfection of it immediately apparent.

(f) If he have but an Afs or an Ox, &c.] Our Lord had used the same Reasoning before, almost in the fame Words, when vindicating the Cure of the Man whose Hand was withered; (Mat. xii. 11. Vol. i. pag. 310.) and at another Time had urged an Argument in effect the fame, with regard to the Cure of the Crooked Woman: (Luke xiii. 15. Sect. 117. pag. 135.) Which may serve, among a Variety of other Instances, to vindicate several Repetitions, which must be supposed, if we defire to affert the exact and circumftantial Truth of the

Sacred Hiftorians.

VOL. II.

146

The Parable of them that chose the highest Seat.

There is one

8 When thou art bidden of any Man to a Wedding,

Sect. 119. Humility, he faid unto them:
LXIV Thing I would, on this Occafion, address to every fit not down in the higheft

8.

one in the. Company, namely, When thou art Room: lest a more honour-
invited by any Friend to a Wedding Feast, or any able Man than thou be bid-
other great Entertainment, remember the Hint den of him;

which Solomon has given, (Prov. xxv. 6, 7.)
and do not fit down in the uppermost Place ; left
another of more honourable Rank in Life than thee,

9 should happen to be invited by him.

And be

that invited you both, should come and say to thee,
Thou must give Place to this Person; and thou
Shouldst then, to avoid a second Disgrace of this
Nature, begin with Shame to take the very low-
est Place, as confcious how much thou hast ex-
posed thyself, by so haughty and foolish a Be-

10 haviour, But rather, on the contrary, when
thou art thus invited, go and fit down at first in
the lowest Place thou canst find (g); that when he
that invited thee comes into the Room, he may fay
to thee, My Friend, go up higher: Then shall thy
Modesty be followed with a diftinguishing Re-
gard, and thou shalt thus have Honour in the
Sight, both of the Master of the Feast, and of all
them that fit at Table with thee, as having assumed
nothing to thyself, but rather been contented to

11 stoop to thine Inferiors. For this may be laid
down as a certain Maxim in Life, and happy is
the Man that attends to it, Every one who exalts
himself beyond his proper Rank and Circumstan-
ces, shall be proportionably humbled and mortified;
but he that humbles himself, shall be exalted and ho-
noured, as well as beloved, both by God and Man.
(Compare Mat. xxiii. 12. and Luke xviii. 14.)

12 Then faid he also to him that invited him, If
you defire to improve what you have to the best
Advantage, spend it in Charity, rather than in
Magnificence and Luxury: And when thou makest
Dinner
Supper, invite not so much thy
rich Friends, or thy Brethren, or thy Kindred, or
Neigh-

a

or a

9 And he that bade thee and him, come and say to thee, Give this Man Place; and thou begin with Shame to take the lowest Room.

(g) Sit down at first in the lowest Place.] It is most probable, that Chrift himself, as illustrious a Person as he was, had accordingly done thus, and fate down among them in the lowest Place at the Table.

(b) Invite

The Poor should rather be invited than the Rich.

Neighbours; left they alfo bid thee again, and a Recompence be made thee.

13 But when thou makest a Feast, call the Poor, the Maimed, the Lame, the Blind:

14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompence thee: for thou

shalt be recompenced at the

Resurrection of the Just.

:

+

12.

147

Neighbours (b); left they should also invite thee Sect. 119.
again, and fo that should be all thy Recompence,
to receive one Banquet for another; which would Luke XIV.
introduce an Habit of high Living, at a great Ex-
pence both of Money and Time, and would
occafion the Disorder of your respective Families.
But rather, when thou wouldst make an Entertain-
ment, which should turn to the surest Account,
let it be plain and frugal, and invite to it the
Poor, the Disabled, the Lame, [and] the Blind (i),
who are incapable of taking Care of them-
selves: Let these come to thy House frequently,
to receive thine Alms; or "fend Portions to

13

them," when they cannot come. (Neh. viii.
10.) And this will afford thee a much nobler 14
Satisfaction than Banquets can give; and I may
truly say, thou shalt be happy, in that they are
not capable of making. thee fuch a Requital; for
their Prayers shall defcend in Bleffings on thy
Head; and, befides all the Pleasure a generous
Heart will find in the very Exercise of such Boun-
ties, thou shalt be abundantly recompenced at the
Refurrection of the Juft (k), if they proceed from
a real Principle of Piety and Faith. (Compare
Note (a), Vol. i, pag. 331.)

(b) Invite not so much thy rich Friends, or Neighbours.] Probably (as Mr. Reading well conjectures,) he observed in the Pharisees a Humour of making Magnificent Feafts, (on the Sabbath-Days, and on other Occafions,) and of treating Great Perfons, chiefly out of Pride, Ambition, and Oftentation; which might render this Advice peculiarly proper, especially if he who now gave this Entertainment was, as many of his Brethren certainly were, very deficient in Works of Charity. (See Reading's Life of Christ, pag. 256.) It is plain, the Word Rich, (as Grotius well observes,) refers not merely to Neighbours, but to the Kindred, and the other Persons that are mentioned with them; for if these were in low Circumstances, their being related to them was an Argument, why they should be regarded, rather than neglected..

(i) The Disabled, &c.] We render αναπήρες, the Maimed; but the Signification of the Word is much more extensive, and indeed takes in both the Lame, and the Blind, afterwards mentioned; and may also include those, whom the Infirmities of Age have rendered helpless. Grotius thinks, this Scripture was the Foundation of the Agape, or Love-Feasts, among the primitive Christians; but it is not evident. Pliny has a fine parallel Passage.

See Plin. Epist. lib. ix. epist. 30.

(k) At the Resurrection of the fust.] It is not so evident, as Dr. Clarke supposes, that δικαίων muft here signify charitable Men; it rather seems to me, a strong and awakening Intimation, that none who neglect Works of Charity, shall have their final Lot among the Righteous; which is evident from the many hundred Scriptures, which indispensably require Mercy, as well as fuftice. (Compare Mat. i. 19. Note (a), Vol. i. pag. 38.)

::

Sect. 119.

H

Reflections on the Exercife of Humility and Charity.

IMPROVEMENT.

OW happy were they, who had frequent Opportunities of converfing with Christ, whose Discourses were always fo wife, and so useful! How well did he repay all the Entertainments he received, in the Advantages which he gave for religious Improvement! In vain might his Luke xiv. 1. Enemies watch for Occasions against him. In his Tongue was the Law of Wisdom, as well as of Kindness. (Prov. xxxi. 26.) And surely the Lips of his Ministers and Disciples would feed many to their everlasting Benefit, were this blessed Model to be more carefully traced. (Prov. x. 21.)

Ver. 8,--11. Let us particularly observe, what he here says concerning a modest and bumble Deportment, which is indeed the surest Way to be honoured and respected. And let us take great heed, that that good Breeding, which confifts so much in the Expreffions of Humility, and a Readiness to prefer others to ourselves, do not degenerate into a mere Form, and prove, as it too often does, the Cloak of Arrogance and Pride; but that it have its Foundation in a lowly Opinion of ourselves, and an habitual Disposition to submit even to our Inferiors, when we may do it without breaking in upon the Duties and Decencies of Life, and injuring those to whom it may be exercised, by an Indulgence, which they know not how to understand, or improve.

Ver. 12, 13.

Ver. 14.

Let us hearken to these Exhortations to Charity, from the Mouth of our Charitable Saviour, who gave himself for us. And as Christ pleafed not bimself, (Rom. xv. 3.) let us not allow ourselves to squander away great Quantities of Money, in what may gratify our own Senfes, or make a gaudy Shew in the Eyes of the vainer Part of Mankind; but let us be willing to spare from the Luxuries and Superfluities of Life, that we may bestow it on the Poor, and the Distressed. And indeed, whatever our Circumstances and Possessions be, we must expect that the Stream of our Bounty will foon be dried up, if it be not supplied from the Fountain of a prudent Frugality. This Self-denial may now in some Instances be painful; but it will be amply recompenced at the Resurrection of the Just. May we then meet with many, whom our Liberality has fed and clothed, whom our Knowledge and Zeal have instructed, and whom our holy Examples have edified and quickened! Here will be a Foundation laid for the Endearments of an eternal Friendship; when that which has been formed upon a Partnership in Vice, or animal Pleasure, shall be for ever forgotten, or be remembered with mutual Horror.

SECT.